The Hole in the Wall

The Hole in the Wall, Chiswick, is the brainchild of fabulous husband-and-wife team Jason and Lucie Hunt. They bought a run-down old pub eight years ago and, with the help of a tasteful renovation, a Macedonian chef and a welcoming atmosphere, have transformed it into gastronomic heaven.

This gem of a pub serves a modern European menu replete with classics such as duck confit, chorizo stew and beef and ale pie. However, the real star of the show is the slow-roasted pork belly, which is famed in surrounding boroughs (just Google it). The menu changes seasonally but the pork belly stays by popular demand; naturally I had to order it, and the dish arrived crispy and flavoursome, beautifully offset by Savoy cabbage and thick gravy. We asked one of the pub's smiling staff to recommend a pudding, and were told an American had lauded the banoffee pie as 'one of the top ten he had ever eaten'. We ordered, and agreed.

The Hole in the Wall, tucked down a quiet residential Chiswick street, exudes a wonderful local feel. It has been cosily refurbished, log fires blaze in its three hearths, and I am told the large beer garden is packed in the summer. In short, this pub is fantastic